On Eve of NBA Trade Deadline, Magic Light Up Kings to End Losing Streak

The Orlando Magic ended a four-game losing streak in a big way Wednesday, scoring 130 points in a runaway victory at Sacramento. Thursday brings two events: the NBA trade deadline and the final game of the Western road trip against the Denver Nuggets.

Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) drives to the basket against Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine (8) during the first quarter at Golden 1 Center. | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

How badly did the Orlando Magic offense need a night like Wednesday in Sacramento?

In a 130-111 win over the Kings, the Magic ended a four-game losing streak and produced one of their best offensive performances of the season:

• shooting 56.8 percent from the field;
• converting 16 of 31 three-pointers;
• making 14 of 15 free throws;
• scoring 58 paint points; and
• totaling their second-most single-game points (after 133 on Nov. 27 vs. Chicago).

In the three previous stops on this Western road trip — all losses — Orlando failed to score 100 points. With a 37-point first quarter and a 42-point third, the Magic eclipsed that threshold in three quarters.

"After the past couple games of us trying to find our way on both sides of the basketball, I thought it was a very gritty and spirited effort," Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said postgame. "We talked about this over the past couple of days, finding the right spirit, the right energy with the group, being able to play as a collective the right way. We controlled the controllables a lot through this game."

Franz Wagner led Orlando with 31 points — 16 in the third quarter — on 12-of-22 shooting that included five three-pointers.

"He was huge for us," Paolo Banchero said. "He kind of opened the game up in the third quarter hitting those four threes, I think it was. He's been playing at a high clip. He looks great out there."

Banchero followed his running mate's effort with 23 points and nine assists. Anthony Black (15 points), Goga Bitadze (14 on 7-of-7 shooting), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (14), and Tristan da Silva (11) were the other Magic scorers in double figures.

The Magic converted 17 Kings turnovers into 28 points, led by as many as 30 points, and were able to rest their starters on the first night of back-to-back games.

The Magic improved to 25-27, still eighth place in the Eastern Conference. They are a half-game behind Detroit for seventh and 1.5 games behind Miami for sixth.

After Thursday's road trip finish in Denver, Orlando will have just one game away from the Kia Center between Feb. 8 and March 6. The All-Star break falls in that stretch, too.

The NBA trade deadline also arrives Thursday at 3 p.m. ET. The Magic have stood pat during one of the most active periods of player movement in league history.

Two of Orlando's competitors in the East — the Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks — made moves Wednesday:

• The Heat picked up 2022 All-Star Andrew Wiggins plus other assets in a trade that sent disgruntled star Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors.
• The Bucks traded Khris Middleton, a cornerstone of their 2021 NBA title team, to get Kyle Kuzma.

Other names like Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis and Brandon Ingram have found new homes. The Magic were the first team to see Zach LaVine in a Kings uniform after Sacramento acquired him in a three-team deal that shipped De'Aaron Fox to San Antonio.

Few teams in the NBA have opted to be bystanders, but if the Magic do so, it'd be a repeat of last year's deadline.

Thursday in Denver, the Magic face a Nuggets team that is 14-4 against visitors changing time zones.

The question that remains: Is this the Magic team that will be there?

Up Next

Orlando's five-game road trip concludes Thursday against the Nuggets. Tipoff is 9 p.m. ET from Ball Arena in Denver.

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